Device for aiding combustion in boiler-furnaces.



PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

E. R. LEWIS. DEVICE FOR AIDING COMBUSTION IN BOILER FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1903.

NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented March 8, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

DEVICE FORIAIDING COMBUSTION IN BOILER-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,151 dated March'S,1904;

Application filed September 21, 1903. Serial No. 173,960. (No model.)

To atl whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, EDWARD R. LEWIs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and .of thegases into the flues of the boiler; and

the invention consists in the construction described in the followingspecification and clearly pointed out in the claims forming partthereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of aboiler and its setting, showing my improved devices applied thereto.Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in of the construction shown in Fig.1.

Referring now to the drawings, [L indicates the boiler; b, theboiler-setting; c, the bridgewall, and d the grate-bars.

The particular type of boiler shown herein is that of the commonflue-boiler, and while the device is shown as applied to this type it isequally applicable to other forms of horizontal boilers.

In carrying my invention into practice I employ steam under suitablepressure to deliver air, mingled therewith, to theflame above the fire,and for that purpose a tube or pipe 6 is located transversely of theboiler, preferably closeup to the under side of the latter, as shown inthe drawings, and also preferably on the inside of the front wall of thesetting. One end of this tube projects through the setting at one sidethereof, as shown in Fig. 2. At two or more points in this tube areducing- T (indicated by f) is made into the tube, the smaller openingin which preferably looks downward, into which the nipples g arescrewed. The pipe 6 is closed at is inner en by inserting it in the sidewall, as shown.

This pipe is relatively of large diametersay two and one-half inchesthenipples 9 being of about one-inch pipe. Extending longitudinally andcentrally through this tube a is a steam-pipe it, having branches 4;,which extend down to and nearly through the nipples g. The pipe 72, isprovided with a suitable valve j outside of the boiler, and theconstruction of the whole is one whichoperates on the injectorprinciple, whereby steam under pressure flowing through the branches rlwill operate to draw air through the tube e and force it out of thenipples g. While the direction of delivery from the nipples g isdownward, the draft through the fire is upward and backward toward thecombustion-chamber o, and thus the commingled air and steam followingthe movement of the draft will sweep across the surface of the fire,mixing with the products of combustion just formed. This supply of airand steam is supplemented by a supply of atomized or finely-comminutedwater, which is'introduced in the side of the fire-door opening mthrough a pipe n, the end of which is located close to the inner wall ofone side of said opening on, as shown in the drawings. This pipepreferably is provided with a semispherical head 0, pierced with anumber of small openings through which the water is forced to form afan-like curtain in a plane which is at right angles to the air-currentswhich enter the opening or around the door and through the air-openingsprovided therein. This water in its finely-subdivided state isimmediately converted into steam and the component gases thereofliberated by the high temperature of the fire-box. From these twosources-that is, the injection of air and steam through the tubee and ofthe waterspray through the pipe n-a sufficient quantity of oxygen andhydrogen gases is provided to effect by their union with the carbon insuspension in they products of combustion the more perfect combustion ofthis carbon. However, there is a certain amount of carbon evolved fromthe combustion of the fuel toward the rear endof the grate-bars, whichcannot always be reached by a supply of oxyen introduced near theforward end of the latter, and to supply this liberated carbon with therequisite proportion of oxygen there are located at the rear of theboiler two pipes p, which pass through the rear wall of theboiler-setting and then turn upwardly, as shown. These pipes 19 are ofsubstantially the same diameter as the pipe 6, and in each of them thereis located an extension of the steampipe it to constitute a devicesimilar in action to that described for delivering air and steam at theforward end of the boiler above the fire. These two pipes 19 deliver tothe stream of hot gases at the point where they turn to pass up behindthe boiler and through the flues of the latter a sufiicient quantityofoxygen to complete the combustion of whatever remaining free carbon hasescaped combustion before reaching this point. In practice it ispossible with these improved devices applied to the boiler to fire theboiler in the ordinary manner and in stoking the fire to breakup theclinkers without producing a s ufiicient quantity of unconsumed carbonto make any material showing at the top of the stack.

Preferably the pipe 0 and nipples g are covered with some heat-resistingmaterial to protect them from the great heat to which they wouldotherwise be subjected, this covering being indicated by q. The pipes 19at the rear do not require it.

Having thus described my invention, what I 3 claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a boiler-setting having the usual lire-dooropening therein, of

' an air-conduit located over said opening trans- 3 versely of thesetting, delivery-nipples in said pipe extending into the fire-box, anda steampipe in said conduit, and branches extending into said nipples,together with a water-spraying device located in the fire-door opening.4 2. The combination with a boiler-setting having the usual fire-dooropening therein, of an air-conduit located over said openingtransversely of the setting, delivery-nipples in said conduit lookingdownward, and extending into 4,

the fire-box; a steam-pipe in the air-conduit, and branches extendinginto the nipples, the whole constituting adevice to inject air and steaminto the fire-box, a second air-and steam injecting device located atthe rear end of the 5 setting, together with a water-spraying devicelocated in the fire-door opening and adapted to spray the watertransversely of said opening.

EDWARD R. LEWIS. Witnesses: v

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs.

